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The Houston Texans look to put the horrendous 2020 season behind them by continuing the search for the General Manager position. The Texans’ ownership and management, at least what’s left of it, have made it clear that the GM position and head coach positions will be occupied by two people, not one. The combined head coach/GM experiment we witnessed in Bill O’Brien was an utter failure and will cost the team several years to properly recuperate from the decisions that were made. However, the Texans will begin to turn over a new leaf by interviewing two more interesting prospects for the GM role.
Scott Cohen is the Head of Football Research for the Baltimore Ravens. He has front office experience from the Ravens, Eagles, Buccaneers, Jets, and Jaguars. According to the Houston Chronicle, Cohen’s current role is “in self-scouting, research on opponents for advance scouting and the latest NFL trends. He does research projects for the head coach, an advance scouting report with the pro scouting department and quality control coaches. His duties include work on opponents and preparations for free agency and the NFL Draft.”
The #Texans have put in a request to interview #Ravens Director of Football Research Scott Cohen for their GM job, per source. He’s worked with the coaching staff for the last two seasons, but was a high-ranking personnel man before that for the #Bucs and #Jets.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 4, 2021
Cohen’s diverse and unique experience around the league spans over two decades. He could bring in new thinking and an assortment of the best ways to conduct an organization. Though he has never occupied the GM role before, he was the Assistant GM for the New York Jets during some of their best years. Cohen received his Masters in Sports Management at UMass (because we need to try another round of Massachusetts leadership in Houston) and studied Economics at Dickinson College.
In addition to Cohen, Trent Kirchner is the latest name to be added to Houston’s interview carousel. He is the Vice President of Player Personnel in Seattle. That position is usually the next in line for the GM role; in fact, Brian Gaine held this position in Buffalo before his short stint as GM in Houston.
The #Texans have requested an interview with #Seahawks exec Trent Kirchner for their vacant GM job, sources say. I mentioned on @gmfb the other day he was one of three Seattle candidates on their radar, but word is search firm Korn Ferry is strongly pushing Kirchner for the gig.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 4, 2021
Kirchner has been within the Seahawks’ front office for over 11 years and has been a staple in the organization’s talent and player department during the Pete Carroll era. He’s followed Seahawks GM John Schneider to several teams throughout his NFL front office career.
A unique wrinkle in Kirchner’s experience is his Public Relations background. With a fanbase in turmoil and on the brink of outright rejecting the team as a whole. a leader who can both manage the team and the fans is a powerful combination. You can listen to Kirchner in 2016 here talking about his experience. He studied at St. John’s University in Minnesota before diving head first into the NFL world.
The Texans should search far and wide for new talent, so hearing they’ll talk with candidates from several different teams is a good sign compared to the alternative of them looking for someone within the walls of NRG Park. New blood is something the Texans desperately need. We’ll know in the near future, certainly before the 2021 NFL Draft process begins, who will be taking the mantle and throne as the next Texans GM.